R.S.E LTD OLDIE SYSTEM INFO PLEASE

Thank you so much for posting that, it's very interesting and helpful.

As you will have seen, there is almost no published information about these systems either on the internet or elsewhere.

A definitive first hand account from the original designer is extremely useful to have. Would you like to write up the full history of the company and add any more details you can remember?

(for my sins, I worked at Martin Audio in the 1980's...)


edited to add:

Oh, and the comments re the lenses were not about the grilles.
JBL always advised that the plates should be open at the sides for the lens effect to work at its optimum. But of course that left them vulnerable to damage, so they had to be boxed for road use. Some companies used very deep front lids that allowed the sides to be exposed when removed.




Edited by madboffin - 04 March 2020 at 2:50pm

Hi

I am the original designer of the RSE PA system - the cabinets had already been chosen when I joined the company but the amps, crossovers and all the acoustic bits are mine. As some have already noted, the amps were 3 off Quad 303 amps to give 100W each into 16 ohms. and the active crossover included peak-limiting compressors and differential outputs to each amp. Some members seem concerned that the grill-cloths might affect the performance of the acoustic lens on the mid/treble, but we carried out test-room performance evaluation and could see no difference. The PA's were designed especially for touring type applications and the carpet covering was an industrial-grade flooring material which proved very tough, and some systems lasted for many years hard life on the road while still looking OK. Unlike the traditional black-vinyl with chrome corners, which soon looked very tatty once they had been lugged around a few hundred road miles in a van.

We also found that vandalising was a problem with live-performance set-ups and the grill cloths helped to protect against the odd knife attack!

we also made a 100W full-range monitor, about the size of a 4-drawer file cabinet, also using Quad 303, one-off this time again with active crossover, compressors etc. This time the bass speaker was fully horn loaded rather than the hybrid front/rear-horn loading of the bigger PA's. Amongst other performances using these was a concert by John Williams (guitarist) at the Royal Albert Hall that I was at.

If you go to https://www.electroprops.co.uk/92/Cases-flightcases-technical-tool-cases/Large-period-20-channel-audio-mixer-for-touringstudio-1960s-1970s-P2079.html you will see one of our mixers - came in any multiple of 5 channels up to 25 channels. Again the emphasis on toughness and any-gear compatibility. All my design this one.

Groups using our gear included Yes, Paul McCartney and Wings, New York Dolls, Hawkwind, Hollywood, Blue, Thin Lizzie, Black Sabbath etc etc

Since then I have worked in a variety of fields (Aircraft flight computers, intrinsically safe gas detectors, electronic aids for the disabled, missile interceptors, high-speed memory systems, automatic traffic-light controllers) before settling back into audio in the form of sonar and ultrasound imaging systems, with frequencies ranging from 25Hz to 10MHz, and powers from 5W per channel (up to 256 channels at a time) to 60kW per channel. Nothing like a bit of variety!

Guys - the RSE 600 system was 2 bass 15in (not sure but poss JBL D or K series) and te top box with the badly boxed lens. It was boxed that way to protect the lens in transit.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/RSE-PFX1200-amplifier-/281386698534?pt=UK_MusicalInstr_Amplifiers_RL&hash=item4183f44726

sounds like a fixer upper, lol.

There is an amp on eBay the now.

Hey Paulus,